To Kill A Summoner
by Yunasdestiny
Summary: People never stay the same. At some point in their lives, they need and crave change - but change always comes with a price. What will Yuna's be? ONE SHOT/SONGFIC. COMPLETE! Read and review! Yuna-centric, with slight character references in between.


_**To Kill A Summoner...**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, nor do I own the lyrics to 'This Is War' by Thirty Seconds To Mars. I do own the story, though!  
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A/N: Welcome back, readers! Yes, another one shot - but decently lengthy one, and it's a _slight_ a song-fic. The aforementioned song essentially sparked this idea. However, I do not intend to take full credit for it. I had help this time :)

So, do you ever find yourself wondering how Yuna went from a Summoner to a Gun-Slinger? Well wonder no more, for I have discovered her secret, and I shall now share my twisted version with you. This takes place after the Eternal Calm Prologue, and before Final Fantasy X-2 kicks off.

Special Thanks To: 6jrz422 (Because without you there to help, I would have driven myself insane.), headaches (thanks to the awesome music incorporated in the story), caffeine (thanks for keeping me from face-planting the keyboard), food (who can think on an empty stomach?), Thirty Seconds To Mars (for the inspiration behind this one shot), Skype (because without it, this would have been even more painful), and finally, to Square - because without you guys, this wouldn't have been possible!

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><p><em>A warning to the people; the good and the evil...<em>

The time for celebrating, rejoicing and praising had come to an end. On this tiny island, and under the cloak of darkness, small footsteps sunk beneath the sand. One in front of the other, these footsteps strode toward their destination, unfazed by the late hour, nor were they affected by the lack of companionship. If you listened close enough, you could hear the determination spilling into each grain of sand.

Coming to an abrupt halt, the person stood silent, gazing coldly at the stone wall in front of them. The summer breeze swayed past her, unable to shake the emotionless expression burned into her face. Running her fingers stiffly over the towering wall, it shook slightly before raising, exposing it's dark and damp atmosphere. Looking over her shoulder to see if she were truly alone, her eyes glowed, flashing under the pale aura of the moon. Once satisfied, her steady footsteps carried her through the entrance, and the magic-bound gate closed behind her.

She could sense a presence growing stronger the further down she walked, but her pulse remained steady. Squinting her eyes, she watched a dim light start to appear in the distance, casting eerie shadows on the ruins surrounding her. Her destination was just ahead, and the closer she came to reaching it, the faster blood flowed through her veins.

_This. Is. War._

"Tonight is the last time she ever sees the light of day," the woman whispered as she approached a glowing statue.

Her eyes examined it as she stepped closer – the statue was of a woman dressed in a flowing kimono. It's arms above her head, and she was poised gracefully atop a pillar of water.

"You served your purpose," the young woman whispered, "But I think now it's time you rested with the rest of them."

One green eye, and one blue drifted lower, focusing on the intricate fountain of water the statue danced upon. Laying there were three orbs – one black, one blue, and one yellow. Each one glowed; their colors dancing in the iris' of her eyes. She took them down gently, one by one, placing them into a gold plated tablet. As they settled tightly inside, bright blue lines formed between each of them. Pulling the smallest remote hidden behind the statue, she traced her thumb over a red button.

_To the solider, the civilian..._

"People claim High Summoner Yuna is a legend," she spoke emotionless to no one, "She saved Spira from Sin. Lady Yuna brought us the Eternal Calm, and despite the High Summoners before her, she was the only one to live through it all."

_The martyr, the victim – this is war._

She shifted her weight around, bringing one small finger to one of the orbs, "What the people don't know is that she did, in fact, die that day. It's taken two long years, but..."

_It's the moment of truth,_

She paused, grinning slightly as she pressed the red button, "Tonight I bury her with the rest of my past."

_And the moment to lie._

Yuna watched as the room started to shake furiously beneath her feet. Shrieks and growls filled the room, echoing from every direction. With the press of one red button, she had turned the desolate ruins into her own private monster arena. A hand full of grotesque creatures migrated their way to the center, driven rabid by the smell of blood.

_The moment to live, and the moment to die._

"Now is the time to choose," she whispered absentmindedly, reciting the distant words of a very old friend – one of her own Guardians.

Glancing behind her, Yuna spotted the first wave of fiends that dared cross her path. Four flans surrounded her, wobbling back and forth, snarling. As the flans started to cast their favored elements, Yuna quickly pressed down on the black orb, submerging it further into the result plate. An explosive light lit the whole of the ruins, stopping time briefly, and encasing her within it's embrace.

_The moment to fight._

She tilted her head slightly as the transformation started to take place. A pinkish stream of energy wound around her body, shedding her of the Summoner kimono, and replacing it with her Black Mage robes. Landing gracefully to her feet, a ball of flame followed alongside a staff. Yuna took it into her hands and swung it forcefully outward, with flames lighting the path.

_To the right, to the left..._

Time resumed, and as it did, so did the spells that the flans had spat in her direction. With a smirk tugging at her lips, Yuna tipped the brim of her mage's hat down over her eyes and raised her staff with her other hand. As the elements lingered together around her, she watched each of them carefully – fire and thunder swayed between each other, barrages of ice flew straight at her, while the remaining water spell towered over her in the form of a tsunami.

_I will fight to the death – to the edge of the world._

Closing her eyes, Yuna focused on nothing but her own instincts. Her heart pounded slowly inside her chest as she felt all four of the elements fill her senses. At the last possible minute, her eyes snapped open and Yuna swung her staff around her sharply. A green force field exploded from the outline of her body, pushing them back with such a force that the flans were swept back a few feet.

_It's a brave new world, from the first to the last._

As the fiends stood stunned, Yuna brought the staff in front of her, clasping it with both hands. Twirling it clockwise, she closed her eyes once more, channeling and willing the same elements to come back to her. Sweat beaded on her brow, trailing down her face as she silently called out to them.

A gust of wind blew inward, tugging on her attire as the call started to answer; Yuna's arms raised above her head, still twirling the staff as she did. The anicent magic danced around her, winding themselves around her frame. When enough energy had finally gathered, she turned full-circle, extending the staff in front of her with sharp precision. Her eyes flew open, reflecting a fraction of her potential in them, and she watched each flan be consumed with their opposing elements.

"Die and be free from pain..."

Yuna watched as pyreflies erupted from their gel like form, breathing once they'd fully faded. Her mismatched eyes didn't have to wander very far to find the next wave approaching. Unlike the flans, this next set were a motley bunch; they did not travel in packs, but roamed sporadically throughout the center of the ruins where she stood.

_A warning to the prophet, the liar, the honest..._

To her left, two lupines bared their teeth fiercely, while the corners of their mouths dripped with saliva. Hissing resounded from behind, and she turned to see two skinks inching closer – their tongues lashing out rapidly, digging their claws into the dirt beneath them.

"Or live and fight your sorrow."

All four of the fiends snarled, taking a running start toward her. Yuna whipped out the result plate at blinding speed, punching the blue orb down with her knuckles. It was swallowed whole, and as it was, another bright light exploded, suspending time once again.

_This. Is. War._

The plate fell from her hands and hovered at her feet as she volleyed herself into the air. The Black Mage attire peeled away slowly, and her body began to illuminate for a second time that night, as the Gunner outfit attached itself to her frame. Settling to the ground, Yuna wasted no time as she pulled her guns from her waist. The protective light started to dim, and she cocked both the guns, extending her arms stiffly in front of her.

"Some people choose one or the other."

_To the leader, the pariah, the messiah – this is war._

Her pupils resumed their original state once the light died out, and she focused on the first lupine. With a running jump, his mouth opened, eagerly awaiting the satisfaction of sampling Yuna's flesh. Behind her, both skinks charged simultaneously, fins raised and tongues extended. The last lupine had been slow to react, but it followed suit.

_It's the moment of truth..._

Yuna kept her hand steady, laughing inwardly at the lupines first mistake – going for her arm. As soon as it was in ample range, she shifted her body to face him. Drawing her right fist back, she threw her weight behind the punch, driving it straight into it's mouth. Unable to free itself, Yuna swung her body around, knocking the skinks back with the impaled hound. Without hesitating she pulled the trigger, not blinking as it's skull to explode, freeing her arm in the process.

_The moment to lie._

As it's body burst into pyreflies, she took off after the skinks, who returned the gesture. The leading reptile leapt into the air, claws exposed, and snarling. Yuna twisted to the right and down slightly. As it descended, she drew her left arm upward as the barrel of her gun connected. The force behind the pistol whip rocketed it to the air, and Yuna aimed upward, unloading a bullet from each gun between it's eyes before it even hit the roof of the ruins.

_The moment to live, and the moment to die._

Twirling the guns effortlessly on her fingers, she faced the two remaining fiends. Her eyes narrowed as they ran their claws through the dirt, kicking up clouds of dust behind them. She ejected the semi-used cartridges to the groud, grabbing two fresh ones from her pouch and slamming them into the handles of both guns. Once securely in place, she cocked them and aimed for their heads.

"I choose to live by both."

They took off in her direction, nostrils flaring and eyes filled with rage.

_The moment to fight._

The fiends came upon her – skink in air, lupine on foot. Unflinching, Yuna kept her left gun aimed at the airborn, while the right stayed level to the ground. Gunshots fired repeatedly at both of them, as Yuna released a round of Trigger Happy. Both skink and lupine were lifeless before hitting the ground.

_I do believe in the light._

Another cloud of pyreflies lit up the room, filling her ears with their cries. Placing her guns back in the holsters, she stood silent. Her muscles ached from her level of alertness, and her sweat shamelessly mingled with the blood of freshly slaughtered fiends.

Taking shallow and steady breaths, Yuna scanned the room carefully. The last of the pyreflies had flitted out of the room, leaving her to stand in the dark, tomb like area. Though there was no present danger, she knew it was far from over – the summoner inside her she had tried to desperately cast away told her differently.

The ground shook gently, sending vibrations through her entire body. Rocks fell to her feet, pelting her skin harshly – debris kicked up settling into her lungs, sending her into a coughing fit. As the tremor heightened, Yuna lost her balance, throwing her backward into the statue.

Using the statue of her former self with one arm, she brought her other up to shield her head from the rapidly falling stones and debris. From somewhere deep inside the ruins, Yuna heard a painful screech, and the sound of angered paws stamping the ground in rhythmic strides; each one drawing closer than the last toward the center.

All at once, everything stopped. The ground stood still, the air cleared, and the only sound she could hear were growls and pants coming from the other side of the room. Yuna raised her head from the safe haven of her arm, only to lock gazes with a single fiend. Fire lingered from it's gaping mouth, and it's taut leather hide bore the same fiery red color of the fire it consumed.

"And so the real challenge begins," Yuna slanted her eyes at the Elder Drake, reaching for the result plate.

_Raise your hands up to the sky._

The drake reared back, scrapping the horns on his head against the walls surrounding him. Flames erupted from his throat, along with another resounding roar that vibrated Yuna's head painfully. Her eyes clamped shut and her hands raised to her ears in a futile attempt to muffle the hellish call, all the while, the drake wasted no time in tearing after his opponent.

"I don't think so," Yuna shouted as she threw the result plate straight at him.

As she had guessed, the drake went air-born, catching the glittering plate between his razor sharp teeth. Knowing she was operating on borrowed time, Yuna ripped a gun from her waist. Closing her green eye and focusing with her blue, she took aim, firing one single bullet. As it left the barrel, she closed the remaining eye and waited. The drake shifted his head to the left, leaving the result plate wide open, and shielding him from being struck.

_The fight is done..._

The sound of the ammo connecting with the intended target reached Yuna's ears, and she took to the air for the third time that night – only this time, the light that encased her was the brightest yet. She let go of the guns, clasped her arms across her chest, and felt herself being consumed with more than just a new set of armor.

'His' arms embraced her.

'His' smile warmed her.

'His' memories drove her.

And as she came back down to reality, she felt 'him', coming to life through her.

Brotherhood – 'His' sword – protected her.

_The war is won._

Gripping Brotherhood in her hand, Yuna raised the hilt of it, bringing it forcefully underneath the elder drake's jaw, slamming him into the statue. He stood dazed, but only long enough for Yuna to draw some distance between them. The grotesque fiend shook off the initial attack, tilting his head backward – his nostrils flaring as he drew in the air around him.

_Lift your hands to the sun._

Yuna grinned, twirling Brotherhood with her wrist, and extending the tip of the blade at the drake, "Show me what you've got."

No sooner had the words left her, the elder drake snapped his head forward, releasing a steady stream of fire at Yuna. She started after it, holding Brotherhood in front of her – it shielded her, parting the flames and provided a path that lead straight to the source.

_To the left, to the right._

The fiend watched her every move – digging it's claws into the earth as he swung his head around to move the flow of flames, hoping to consume her. As the fire singed pieces of her clothing, Yuna hopped backward and flung herself into a back handspring. She snapped her head upward, only to see the elder drake heading straight for her at an alarming speed even she couldn't comprehend.

Before she had time to move, the monster lowered his head and connected harshly with her shoulder. The pain registered, but not completely before she felt the statue connect with her back, leaving her winded as Brotherhood flew from her hand. Yuna watched as it skidded across the ground, stopping once it hit the wall off to her right. The elder drake snarled as it spun around – hellish eyes burned into his prey, and he took another lunge at his newly unarmed meal.

_I will fight to the death – to the edge of the earth._

Yuna watched him close in on her, but she remained perfectly still. Just as it reached her ankles, he reared up, intending to rip her apart with protruding, blood thirsty claws. However, instead of meeting with Yuna's silky pale skin, she drew her leg up sharply – the ridges of her boot connected with it's chest, thwarting another attempt. As he flew backward, she pushed off the statue and rolled to where Brotherhood laid, picking it up and taking an aggressive stance.

"Don't count me out just yet," she spat out angrily as the last of the summoner started to fade, "I fall victim to the foe no more."

_It's a brave new world, from the last to the first._

She pushed herself off the wall and ran straight at the drake – sword pointed, jaw tensed, and eyes fixed. He ran at her for the umpteenth time, but as they connected, both collapsed to the ground. The drake effortlessly pinned her, and she laid crushed between his weight and the ground underneath. The only thing keeping his ferocious teeth from ripping her apart was Brotherhood on which his paws grasped.

_It's the moment of truth, and the moment to lie..._

"It's taken me two years," she grunted, pushing against the drake, "But I've finally found something worth living for,"

_The moment to live, and the moment to die..._

The heat from his fiery breath grazed her face, but she refused to turn away.

"I will stop at nothing to keep my Dream alive."

_The fight is done..._

In a moment of sheer determination, her strength started to over come the elder drake. For every inch she gained, Yuna seen fleeting images of 'him'. Every maneuver with 'his' sword, every smile that touched 'his' lips, the sound of 'his' voice calling her name, every kiss they shared; it was those things that fueled her, now. Before Yuna knew it, somehow she had managed to wrestle the elder drake beneath her – it writhed furiously, trying to throw her off balance, but she squeezed her thighs tighter around it's waist.

"Tonight the Summoner dies, freeing me from my pain," she cried out, raising Brotherhood high over her head, "But the Dream lives on, helping me fight my sorrow."

_The war is won._

Bringing the Brotherhood down, Yuna buried the blade into the elder drakes chest, piercing it's heart. In that moment, she felt as if a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. Even something as natural as breathing came easier to her, and the first true smile settled on her lips, alongside the rapture of pyreflies that swarmed her. The chains that locked her away from the rest of the world dissipated, and for the first time since 'he' had been by her side, she felt that everything was going to be ok.

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><p>"So, when do we take off?"<p>

Rikku jumped at the familiar voice that echoed off the cabin walls, "Yunie?"

"Mm."

"You wanna go now? Don't you wanna go say goodbye to Lulu and Wakka?"

Yuna hauled two suitcases up the stairs, dropping them onto the open bed between her cousin and Paine.

"They'll just try to talk me out of it, Rikku – you know how they are."

"If she's ready to go, then we should go," an unamused voice spoke up from a darkened corner, "Weren't you just throwing a fit over Yuna not being able to make her own decisions?"

"Well...yeah, but," Rikku began to prod, "I had planned on staying here long enough to teach you the ropes. It doesn't seem fair to throw you to the wolves!"

Yuna plopped down on the bed and stretched out like a starfish, smiling.

"Besaid isn't the only place in Spira with fiends," Paine snorted, "We can break her in as we go."

"Yeah, but it's dangerous! She could get bitten, or worse! Yunie could die if she's not on top of her game! Lulu would kill me, and then Wakka would bring me back just to kill me again!"

"Rikku," Yuna giggled, "I'm sure this will be a piece of cake – especially if I have you and Paine there to help me."

As her cousin and Paine squabbled over the matter, Yuna pulled the covers back and rolled on to her side. Trying hard to conceal her laughter, she looked out the window and smiled. The fatigue that had been eating away at her all night, finally reached her eyes. Slowly, the voices faded into the background, until all she heart was the beating of her own heart. As her eyes fluttered, Yuna could have sworn she heard the faint cry of a lone pyrefly before she fell victim to the embrace of slumber.

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><p>And there you have it, folks. Two days in the making, and I'm quite happy with how it turned out. Again, 6jrz422, thank you. And just for that, I shall make a complete fool of myself to show my gratitude. Not to mention, having to put up with me for an ungodly amount of hours. :)<p>

*Screams like a a _fucking _fangirl*

Now that that's out of the way, I hope you guys enjoyed it. Review and let me know what you thought of it, good or bad. There's always room for improvement. Until next time, ciao!

Sincerely,

Yunasdestiny


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